Victarion Fairfax
Victarion Barnabus Fairfax, also known to some as the Lord of Masques, is a human thief and former Lord Inheritor of the city of Valestrom in Ursa-Rumora. He is an active PC. Born a nobleman to Lord Viktor and Lady Evelyn Fairfax, Victarion grew up well-educated and well-trained in rapier and wit. In childhood, he spawned a strong friendship with Princess Cordelia Carlisle, daughter of King Hector the Bold. In young adulthood, this friendship became romance - and on consummating their love, Fairfax and Cordelia were discovered by her father - who had Fairfax run out of the country. Escaping to Barmoir, Fairfax trained to become a master thief and a master of disguise. At the beginning of the campaign, 8 years after his exile from his homeland, Fairfax was hired to steal Schephard's Heart for a mysterious employer. He was captured, along with Thran'duin Lo Fey, and broke out of prison with him, Astrid, and Kars. In attempting to steal back Schephard's Heart and the group's own stolen items of sentimental value, Fairfax became one of the founding members of the Party, and its resident Rogue. Childhood and Life in Ursa-Rumora The young Victarion was born to Lord Viktor Fairfax and his wife Lady Evelyn, and given the middle name Barnabus to honor his paternal grandfather. Their firstborn son, the child was named Lord Inheritor of the city of Valestrom. Because he was of noble birth, Victarion was raised with proper etiquette and a keen understanding of social norms - and how to subvert them. Educated by a long string of private tutors, the boy proved to be intelligent, quick-witted, and remarkably talented when it came to acting, singing, and even dance. Had it not been for the strict culture of Ursa-Rumora and the fact that he was to one day Lord over Valestrom, Victarion might have made a fine theatrical actor or other such entertainer. This figures, given that the Fairfax family were the major patrons of the arts in Ursa-Rumora. As a child, Victarion often visited the capital of Silverhold as part of his family's noble obligations to the crown. Over the course of one period where Victarion spent a whole summer in the royal castle while his parents ventured across the country on political business, the boy became well-acquainted with Princess Cordelia Carlisle. The two children, being around the same age, began a fast friendship. Victarion, being the lively and mischievous child he was, brought a certain unpredictable element to Cordelia's isolated lifestyle as a princess. He spent the summer - and many summers thereafter - entertaining her with stories and performances and games. They would spend the days playing pretend, reenacting historical battles, and reading to one another. In light of her friendship with Victarion, King Hector was very protective of his daughter, and was never fond of the young man. In their teenage years, the two's friendship became a secretive and forbidden romance. Around the same time, Victarion was growing increasingly bored with his life as a nobleman - and took to petty thievery in the streets and back-alleys of Valestrom and Silverhold - moreso for the thrill than real monetary gain. If anything, the young man was fairly generous with his spoils - charitably giving what gold he stole from his fellow aristocrats to the poor folk of Ursa-Rumora (though decidedly more out of spite for King Hector than any goodwill towards the commonfolk - as far as Fairfax would admit himself). When he was twenty years old, Lord and Lady Fairfax had a second child, Verity Fairfax, a baby sister. Not long after Verity's birth, Fairfax paid a visit to Silverhold to meet with Cordelia in secret. Scaling the castle walls, he stole into her bedchamber and professed his love for the Princess who responded in kind. The two consummated their forbidden union that night - but mere minutes after the fact they were discovered by King Hector himself. Before departing out the window of the bedchamber to make his escape, Cordelia hurriedly gifted Fairfax her familial royal signet ring - bearing the intricate "C" of the Carlisle family. Riding from Silverhold to Valestrom, pursued by royal guards, Fairfax made it home to his familial estate just in time to write a letter warning his parents, who were still asleep. But at the last minute, Fairfax tore the letter up out of guilt, and regretfully said goodbye to his infant sister, Verity. Riding off into the stormy night, Fairfax left Ursa-Rumora behind, never intending to return. Exile and Time in Barmoir Fairfax managed to cross over into Barmoir, with only a few thousand gold to get himself back up onto his feet. Figuring that he had enough experience as a petty thief back in Ursa-Rumora to take up a career as one in Barmoir, Fairfax dug around in the country's criminal underground. He did several small jobs, stealing from jewelry stores and butcher's shops and other small places for random backers. Eventually though, Fairfax made the acquaintance of Tillin Copperbeard, a dwarven bartender in Coghammer, and a fence with several connections. Under Tillin's tutelage, Fairfax honed his skills as a thief. Tillin also introduced Fairfax to Elena Swift, another human thief who was much more skilled and practiced than Fairfax. He and Elena did several more advanced jobs together, and were good partners in crime. While working together, the two danced around the subject of a romantic relationship - but Fairfax eventually rebuffed Elena's advances out of longing for Cordelia. Elena also introduced Fairfax to the Thieves' Guild based in Talmare, led by a man named Shadow. Although he would perform some jobs for the Guild, Fairfax was denied actual membership - with Shadow citing his reckless and frivolous attitude as a liability. At some point, Fairfax discovered Shadow's real name, Samuel, a fact that puts him at further odds with the Guild Leader. While working alone one time, Fairfax broke into the home of Paige Ryden, a human woman living in Talmare. Paige caught Fairfax in the act, and instead of apprehending him, challenged him to a game of chess, which she promptly won. Finding a kind of sisterly friendship in the woman, Fairfax trained with Paige to further improve his skills, and with her aide sewed himself various costumes. Using his old theatrical tendencies, Fairfax crafted several personas and disguises that he frequently adopted on missions. At some point during his 8-year exile in Barmoir, Fairfax heard from one of his old friends in Ursa-Rumora, a nobleman named Gregory Hawthorne. Gregory wrote to him, saying that House Fairfax had been sacked, and warned his old friend not to return, as he wouldn't like what he'd find. Upon hearing of this news, Fairfax remorsefully tossed his familial signet ring into a fire, severing connections with - what he could only guess was - his now dead family. Just prior to the start of the campaign, Fairfax was hired by a mysterious elven gentleman to steal Schepard's Heart, a gem of great cultural significance in Karthmoore. The client told Fairfax that he would pay so well for the gem that he would never have to steal anything else ever again. Jumping at the opportunity, Fairfax headed out to Karthmoore, where he would soon encounter the rest of the party. Adventures in Karthmoore Upon arriving in the town of Dunmire, Fairfax managed to disguise himself as one of the guards stationed at the manor of the ruling Lord Nigel Idun. During his attempt to steal Schephard's Heart, the attempt was interrupted by the elven ranger Thran'duin Lo Fey, who was also sent to steal the gem by the same elf that had hired Fairfax. The two were captured and incarcerated in a prison just outside the city. While the two blamed each other for their mutual capture, they resolved to help each other escape, and enlisted the aid of two other prisoners, Kars Gappy and Astrid the World Hammer, as well. The four discovered that while most of their personal belongings were safe and secure, certain items of sentimental value had been taken by Lord Nigel Idun and stored in the manor as part of the Lord's eccentric collection. For Fairfax, this item was the Carlisle Family Signet Ring given to him by Cordelia. The escaped prisoners resolved to help each other reclaim these lost items, with Fairfax and Thran'duin agreeing to partner up in their attempt to steal the gem this time around. While in Dunmire, the group met a con artist and wizard named Vor the Mysterious, who was taking credit for local heroics actually committed by Thran'duin. The group managed to capture and torture Vor into submission, gaining what knowledge they could about Lord Nigel and other local going-ons. Fairfax additionally impersonated Vor, and along with Astrid, spent an evening in drunken revelry and debauchery - discrediting Vor's local reputation and declaring "himself" a sham to the populace. Vor escaped the group's custody during a night at an inn, and fled into the wilderness. The party were also told of a mysterious masked figure known as Tim the Snake Eye, who was a regular gambler about town. Tracking him down and capturing him, the party discovered Tim was actually William, the son of Lord Nigel Idun. William informed the party of a dangerous plot afoot in the city, that his father was being influenced by a dark wizard named Zattar, and that the entire nation of Karthmoore was in danger. From William, the party learned of a masquerade ball being held at the Idun Manor, and saw it as a perfect opportunity to gain access to the manor. Using his disguised persona of Count Leopold Octavius Romany Bolingbrooke De Soto Von Stauffenberg III, Fairfax and the party managed to steal invitations from a group of local noblemen and forge invitations for themselves to the ball. At the ball itself, the party eventually confronted and defeated the wizard Zattar with William's aid, breaking the spell over Nigel - who entrusted the party with Schephard's Heart, and tasked them with freeing the other cities of Karthmoore from the influence of the dark wizards. Kars departed to search for a magical hammer said to be kept in a labyrinth in the mountains in the center of Lorn. On the way to Trudgedale, the party encountered a werewolf who infected Astrid with Lycanthropy. In the city proper, the party negotiated with an elven enchantress named Nova to help cure Astrid. Fairfax, meanwhile inquired some local inkeepers about any news out of Ursa-Rumora. They told him that there were rumors of Princess Cordelia being pregnant, missing, or both. Confused and devastated by this news, Fairfax became extremely inebriated and later confessed the majority of his past to Thran'duin in a drunken stupor. In Trudgedale, Fairfax gained some fame as "the Manager" after inadvertently challenging two men to traditional Trudgedale turn-based combat while waiting in line at a potions store. Defeating them, Fairfax's claim of being the Manager of the local Arena champion led to his new title being known throughout Karthmoore and parts of Veres-Kar. Astrid later entered the arena herself, and defeated Magnhildr, the reigning half-orc champion and a Child of Erythnul. The party were subsequently granted a dinner with former champion and ruling Lord of the city Alaster Bastion. In Alaster's service was the wizard Lars, whose experiments with vampirism and lycanthropy had left him relatively magically impotent. The party captured and interrogated him, with Fairfax pressuring Lars to talk through a game of chance involving two glasses of wine - one poisoned, one pure. Lars confessed that he wanted no part of the conspiracy, and most of the Lords in Karthmoore were under the spell of their wizard advisers, who had formed a cabal to overtake the country headed by the head of the council, the necromancer Talek Grimdark, who himself had a hold over King Honre. After gleaming this information, Fairfax sent Lars on a mission to Ursa-Rumora to dig up what information he could about the Fairfax family and Princess Cordelia's whereabouts. Moving onwards to Erikton, the party found the entire town under a strange spell that seemed to have frozen them in a certain point in time. Additionally, the city was being cleared of non-human races. The party eventually sought an audience with Lord Wilhelm, and ate dinner with him and his wife. However, the party discovered this was an illusion, and after defeating and impersonating the family butler, Reginald, Fairfax and the party ventured into the manor's dungeons, discovering the real Lord Wilhelm to be highly emaciated and decrepit, being impersonated by his own adviser, Yorgon. It was here that Fairfax recruited the aid of the young halfling bard, Tigly, who traveled with the party for the duration of their adventures in Karthmoore. Under the guise of Reginald, Fairfax led Yorgon into an ambush, where the party defeated him, freeing Erikton from his spell. Meeting with the various allies they had accumulated over their adventures across Karthmoore, the party headed into Kartmire itself to confront Grimdark, and release Honre from the curse, while their allies mounted a forward attack on the city itself. After being smuggled into the city, the party searched the magical academies located in the capital, and discovered an exiled member of the Wizard's Council, Rastoss, imprisoned below one of the closed schools by servants of Grimdark's. Joined by Rastoss, the party then snuck into the student body of Grimdark's Necromancy Academy and infiltrated the castle, rendezvousing with other allies including William Idun, and Captain Horton of Wilhelm's house guard and Colonel Daeger of Karthmoore's army - together known as Task Force Y (the Hell Are We Doing This). There, they kidnapped King Honre and Queen Abigail's child, Johan, and gave him to Daeger to watch over. Fairfax planned to disguise himself as Honre and summon Grimdark, where the party would ambush him much in the same way they did Yorgon. However, Grimdark and a cursed Honre were already waiting for the party in the throne room, where a battle ensued with the Necromancer and the cursed King. Horton was revealed to be a spy, and stabbed Thran'duin in the back. Eventually, the party triumphed, slaying Grimdark and releasing his hold over Honre and Karthmoore as a whole. The party returned Schephard's Heart to the Kingdom, placing it in the care of Queen Abigail. Rastoss - and by extension the party - were then tasked with a diplomatic mission to Veres-Kar, while Karthmoore set about restoring itself. Astrid stayed behind to mount a rescue mission for Lord Nigel who was captured by Tyranus Grimdark, Talek's brother and ally in Northern Karthmoore. Tigly remained behind as the court bard of the Idun family in Dunmire, revealing that some of his work had been plagiarized by his former mentors - Alexander the elf and Shunnarah the human - who now worked in Barmoire. As they departed, Fairfax promised Tigly that should he ever encounter the bards, he would exact revenge on them for Tigly. Their business in Karthmoore concluded, the party set out for the elven forests of Veres-Kar. Adventures in Veres-Kar and the Wildlands Not long after venturing some ways into the forests of Veres-Kar, the party encountered a group of mercenaries on the road. Fairfax played dead on the road to stop the mercenaries and their carriage to lure them into an ambush. After killing the mercenaries, the party discovered that imprisoned in the carriage was Princess Xyphyra of Veres-Kar, who had been lured away from the capital by Gawain - the same elf that had hired Fairfax to steal Schephard's Heart. The Princess agreed to accompany the party back to Vicken Du'uhl. Along the way, the party encountered the druid tribe that Thran'duin had grown up with. After fighting off an organized raiding band of orcs from the Wildlands, the party rested with the tribe for an evening. During this evening, Fairfax and Xyphyra hatched a scheme to dissolve the engagement of the Chieftain's daughter Tiriel and tribal warrior Rakcha, as Thran'duin had long harbored feelings for Tiriel. Fairfax challenged and lost a duel to Rakcha to distract him, while Xyphyra laced a glass of water with a love potion, which was given to Rakcha by another druid with whom he was instantly smitten. Their plan successful, Thran'duin and Tiriel sneaked away and talked. Fairfax listened in but was unable to understand any of the conversation as it was in Elvish. By the time they reached the capital of Vicken Du'uhl, the party had heard rumors of a rebellion, and organized forces of the Wildlands warring with local towns across Veres-Kar. Rastoss intended to implore the crown do something about this, and led by Xyphyra the party was granted access to the castle and an audience with the King and Queen. Fairfax was suspicious of the royal family however, and elected to steal a guard's uniform and investigate more discreetly. He attempted to incapacitate a guard in a bathroom but was easily defeated and dragged off to the dungeons. Thinking quickly, he claimed that he was under the influence of the sorcerer responsible for the Wildland attacks. Fairfax was escorted to the throne room where the rest of the party was already meeting with the King and Queen. Fairfax managed to sell his story successfully and was released, and dispatched with the rest of the party to deal with the Wildland threat more directly. Fairfax and Rastoss demonstrated some eagerness to depose the royal family, viewing them as incompetent and ineffective, and blissfully ignorant of the elven kingdom's problems, but they ultimately didn't pursue the matter further. In the Wildlands, the party eventually tracked the origin of the organized orc invasions to the settlement of Vorvale - with the mastermind of the plot being none other than the party's old adversary Vor, from Karthmoore. The party managed to draw enough attention to themselves to lure the wizard out of the town and capture him on the road, with Fairfax taking a curious gem from the wizard. This gem would come to be revealed to be the one of the Divination Gems, a previously unknown one belonging to the trickster god Olidammara. The party returned to Vicken Du'uhl with a captured Vor in tow, but discovered on their arrival that the elven nation's King had been assassinated by Gawain, and Xyphera's brother Vander - now Vandel - had inherited the throne. Xyphera resolved to accept the responsibility of the throne, and drank another of Fairfax's love potions so that she could marry her brother and become Queen, as was the royal tradition. Thran'duin was given the honor to execute Vor in front of the people of Vicken Du'uhl; before his execution, Fairfax visited the wizard and gloated that "he would have done it better," in regards to Vor's scheme. During the party's final days in Vicken Du'uhl, Fairfax scouted out the store Rin Lau's Arcanery, thinking he might try and rob the establishment of some of its magical items. He was quickly outmatched by Rin Lau's impressive arcane security, however, and Fairfax departed disgruntled, swearing revenge that he'd find a way to rob the elf one day. Return to Barmoir The party grew increasingly concerned with whatever plot Gawain was hatching, given his assassination of Veres'Kar's king and the fact that Vor had coincidentally acquired a Divination Gem as well. They resolved to travel to Barmoir and get in contact with Tillin Copperbeard in Coghammer, Fairfax's criminal contact who had first contacted him about the job Gawain gave him to steal Schephard's Heart. Personality and Skills As a result of his noble upbringing, Fairfax is well-educated, and is often hinted to have more intellectual pursuits. He makes several allusions to attending numerous plays and has a high regard for the performing arts, fine clothing and food, and other luxuries. He is also well-trained in the use of the rapier, and displays skill with daggers as well as the crossbow when it comes to combat. Fairfax is also a master of disguise, adopting a variety of different personas based on costumes that he carries with him. Mastering the use of imitation and accents, he can quickly impersonate and disguise himself as almost anyone. Masterfully deceptive, Fairfax is a good orator and entertainer, as well as having other roguish skills like lockpicking and sneaking. Fairfax's personality is marked by a naturally charming and friendly nature, however this masks a somewhat underhanded and selfish attitude. He cares much for monetary gain, but is above all pragmatic - and generally refuses to steal from people who don't truly have anything worth stealing. He is also rather averse to conflict, and is very cowardly, but over the course of his travels he displays an increasing predilection for violence when all other options have been exhausted. Despite his outlandish personality, he can also be very dry-witted and sarcastic, though he occasionally puts aside his own goals for the sake of whatever the party's mission is at the time. In this regard, Fairfax is perhaps a player of the long game - and will fight in someone else's war, so to speak, if it will ultimately benefit him in the long-run. Fairfax is also fond of playing the fool, often appearing to be much stupider than he actually is, feigning ignorance in the face of adversity to make his enemies underestimate him. In reality, Fairfax is a master schemer and a decent strategist. The majority of the party's convoluted plans are his brainchild, and he is almost always hatching some kind of scheme in the back of his head. That being said, he is also a gifted improviser - his plans often falling apart when put into action, but he is a quick thinker who often manages to find his way out of a jam. While he cares deeply for his friends and is generally loyal, he does tend to view other people as pawns to use in his plots, for better or worse. Fairfax is a notorious womanizer, with a long string of sexual conquests - and it's heavily implied that he's had his share of male companions as well. When the party first meet him, he has a rather cavalier attitude regarding sex and was prone to shamelessly flirting with almost any attractive individual the party came across. As their adventures continue, it's implied that he developed this trait as a kind of coping mechanism to deal with the emotional damage he suffered by leaving Cordelia, and after repeating this history by impregnating the witch doctor Helga on Tempest Rock, he resolves to be more chaste in his behavior. Underlying his charismatic and selfish attitude though is a deep sense of remorse and guilt. Despite having few moral qualms, he has a soft spot for families - and often sympathizes with children, though he notably struggles with communicating those sympathies - and has difficulty expressing his emotions in general. The rest of the group often describe him as a compulsive liar, as he often tries to take credit for their accomplishments, though he is shown to have a deep respect and even affection for the other party members, and in the party's early days he often served as a mediator between the forthright Thran'duin and more abrasive Astrid. Relationships Thran'duin Lo Fey: Fairfax's with Thran'duin is a complicated one. While the two initially clashed over being arrested on account of one another, the two formed a turbulent kind of friendship. The two frequently mock each other - Thran'duin often pointing out Fairfax's poor stealth and combat skills and Fairfax deriding the elf's lack of social skills, but the two come to care for each other nonetheless - to the point that Fairfax drunkenly reveals his past to Thran'duin and goes out of his way later to break up Tiriel's marriage to Rackcha for Thran'duin's sake. When Thran'duin temporarily leaves the party when they go to Tempest Rock, a gap formed between the two and their friendship had been rockier since reuniting. Astrid the World Hammer: Fairfax was initially weary and even abrasive towards Astrid, but the two shared many common viewpoints over time. Both were willing to be more devious and dishonest if it suited their purposes, but Fairfax was at first more afraid of Astrid, and it was out of fear that he swore to assist her in killing her half-siblings across Lorn. However, Fairfax came to respect and enjoy Astrid's company, taking to a night of drunken revelry with her and taking on the role of her "Manager" during her rise to becoming the Champion of Trudgedale's arena. Fairfax was also passively attracted to Astrid on occasion, kissing her twice - once while drunk and disguised as Vor, and secondly when Astrid departed to rescue Lord Nigel Idun. He came to view Astrid as a sort of surrogate younger sister of sorts and viewed her as something of a living legend in the making and someone who would outlive him - and as such pushed her to have a positive, meaningful legacy. Kars Gappy: Fairfax viewed Kars as something of a helpful partner in crime. The two proved more than willing to work together in various schemes and cons if it suited them - Fairfax once betting Kars in a dice game of Ones, using Kars's magic to rig the game. Fairfax took full advantage of Kars's race; as a gnome he was especially capable in hiding and played a large part in many of Fairfax's more elaborate plans during their time in Dunmire. Fairfax was also subtly apologetic towards Kars for the atrocities committed against his people by Ursa Rumora, even if he did occasionally look down on the gnome in jest at times. Tigly: Fairfax was the party member who recruited Tigly into the party, though their first interaction involved Fairfax throwing daggers at the halfling to distract the guests of a disguised Yorgon while Astrid and Thran'duin snuck around. Later on, Fairfax recruited Tigly's help in defeating Yorgon. While appreciative of Tigly's craft as a musician, Fairfax was often rude to the halfling on account of his perceived uselesness in battle. However, in parting with Tigly (who resolved to accompany Astrid to rescue Lord Nigel), Fairfax swore to find the men who plaguerized Tigly's music and bring him to justice. Upon reuniting much later, Fairfax took the bard on as a member of the Salvation's crew, assigning him the role of the ship's resident entertainer. Rastoss: Fairfax had a good deal of respect for Rastoss, and the two got on fairly well. Fairfax viewed Rastoss's position as a Council Wizard as useful but was impressed that the wizard managed to maintain some degree of autonomy in his political role. In turn, Fairfax felt that Rastoss was one of the only party members who also respected him, and Rastoss appeared for a time to be grooming Fairfax for a role within Karthmoore' government as a spymaster. While their interaction was comparatively brief, the two's mutual respect, understanding and collective scheming was a force to be reckoned with. Xyphera: Zook: Fairfax was initially rather dismissive of Zook, mocking his seeming lack of proficiency with magic. However, Zook did manage to save Fairfax's life in the midst of the magical storm while sailing to Tempest Rock. Over time, Fairfax became increasingly dependent on Zook's magic, and eventually came to appreciate the similarities the two shared in being exiles from their countries and families. He expressed regret that he had not spoken more to Zook about this shared past when the gnome eventually left the party, and felt that he had perhaps missed out on a more meaningful friendship had he paid more attention. Quan: Fairfax and Quan started off on an odd note when the druid insisted on referring to the rogue as "Vic," and Fairfax proved too intimidated to correct him. Fairfax's lighthearted and big personality served as quite a counterweight to Quan's gruff attitude, but the two got on relatively well. While Fairfax was mostly preoccupied with the various conflicts in Tempest Rock, he had enough affection for the druid to give him one of Thran'duin wood carvings, that of a wolf, when Quan left to reunite with his family. Fairfax also had a more subdued respect for Quan's loyalty to his family, and it was also Quan's friendships with some of the soldiers in the War Wolf's army that led to them joining Fairfax in crewing the Salvation. Preston Paragram: Gushnok: Lyra: Princess Cordelia Carlisle: King Hector Carlisle: Elena Swift: